“Maybe with this, water will be cheaper than Soda. If water can be cheaper than soda I‘d expect people to consume more water than soda. Obviously water is healthier that soda. Sugar intake is proportionally linked to obesity”

“Absolutely! Sugar is killing us and rotting our teeth. High sugar in the diet is much more toxic to our bodies than saturated fat. The fat myth is being busted while most people have no idea how bad sugar and HFCS really are. Notice that nutrition facts on food items conspicuously lack the percent daily intake for sugars. This is because the American food lobby insists on keeping the public dim on this issue. They want us to consume more sugar which for them translates to dollar signs.”

“Will force people to buy less and consume less which in turn will prevent more individuals from developing diabetes.”

“Unhealthy- however sugar content should be high. Exclusions include low sugar drinks, and sodas that do not have sugar and are all organic, e.g. kefir sodas.”

“Leading cause of obesity”

“Obesity is a global health problem, and we should not contribute to the problem by making foods that are detrimental to health more accessible. The food industry should not be rewarded for worsening obesity related medical illnesses. Taxing foods and beverages that contribute to such diseases doesn't take away individual choice, but it may help reduce purchasing of such foods, and the money procured can be used to treat patients with obesity related illnesses.”

“Companies profit by taking advantage of the sweetness-seeking vulnerability of humans. The consequences to health are severe (diabetes, obesity, dental issues) and there needs to be a counterbalance to discourage excessive consumption. Even better if the funds are used for health and wellness education programs.”

“Effect on decreasing sugar consumption.”

“To combat obesity, broad lifestyle changes are needed. Taxing sodas does not necessarily help accomplish this goal. Education and more support for healthy eating is needed starting when children are young.”

NIHLast Friday the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) issued its new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for predoctoral institutional training grants (T32s). This FOA will replace the current Parent T32 Announcement for all applications submitted to NIGMS after January 2018. If you/your institution have a T32 through another NIH Institute or Center, applications should be submitted through the Parent Announcement for the foreseeable future.

NIHThe National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has several open Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program funding opportunities. SBIR and STTR funding supports small business entrepreneurs working on the advancement and commercialization of translational research technologies.
NCATS encourages applications in drug discovery and development; biomedical, clinical and health research informatics; clinical, dissemination and implementation research; and clinical trials. Start the application process now to ensure a smooth submission. READ MORE

FASEBFASEB President, Tom Baldwin’s article titled “21st Century Investments in Science and Education will Ensure Our Ability to Compete,” was published via online political news publication, The Hill. Throughout the article, Baldwin cites numerous reasons on why now more than ever, the nation must turn its attention to investing resources in science research and education efforts. While, past national initiatives, including sustained funding to major research institutions, such as NIH and NSF, have propelled the U.S. as the leader in scientific innovation, other countries are forging ahead at increasing speed. In fact, Baldwin indicates that America is at a “crossroads,” and in order to continue as a top producer of scientific discovery, exemplified this year with eight of ten Nobel Prizes in science awarded to U.S. researchers, decision makers must consider science funding and resources as a top priority.READ MORE

FASEBThere are three phases to the application process. All three phases take place primarily through the Discover system, a few items will be submitted electronically via email and immunization health records are uploaded to Certified Profile.READ MORE

Research!AmericaThe opioid epidemic is the most important health issue in West Virginia, above obesity, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dental disease, according to a state-based public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America. A strong majority of West Virginians (84%) say prescription pain medication abuse and addiction is a major problem in their community, and more than two-thirds (71%) say they know someone who experienced pain so severe they sought prescription medicines to treat it.READ MORE

Research!AmericaA significant percentage of migraine sufferers as well as those without the disease are concerned that migraine affects work productivity, quality of life, family/relationships and employment, according to a new national public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America. Respondents also say the condition is likely to have a long-term and substantial effect on sufferers’ ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.READ MORE

Scleroderma Renal Crisis in Mixed Connective Tissue Disease With Full Renal Recovery Within 3 Months: A Case Report With Expanding Treatment Modalities to Treat Each Clinical Sign as an Independent Entity
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rheumatologic overlap syndrome that can present with symptoms of systemic lupus erythematous, scleroderma, and polymyositis. A severe but rare complication that can occur in MCTD is scleroderma renal crisis. With multiple poor prognostic indicators, the renal outcome is usually poor. The clinical and histological picture is one of a thrombotic microangiopathy. Clinical suspicion has to be high for additional thrombotic or autoimmune processes coexisting due to associated morbidity. In this article, we report a rare case of scleroderma renal crisis in a patient with MCTD who we treated with plasma exchange for clinical suspicion for an underlying thrombotic thrombocytopenia and mycophenolate mofetil for MCTD. The patient had multiple poor prognostic indicators yet made a full renal recovery in less than 3 months. READ MORE

Autoimmune Pancreatitis Type 2: Case Report
A middle-aged man presents with acute pancreatitis of unknown etiology and is found to have a presentation consistent with the diagnosis of type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). AIP is a group of rare heterogeneous diseases that are challenging to diagnose. There are 2 types of AIP. Type 1 disease is the more common worldwide than type 2 AIP. While type 1 AIP is associated with IgG4-positive antibodies, type 2 AIP is IgG4 antibody negative. Both types of AIP are responsive to corticosteroid treatment. Although type 1 AIP has more extrapancreatic manifestations and more commonly relapses, this is a case of a patient with type 2 AIP with inflammatory bowel disease and relapsing course. READ MORE

ASCPTMetformin has been used successfully to treat type 2 diabetes for decades. However, the efficacy of the drug varies considerably from patient to patient and this may in part be due to its pharmacokinetic properties. The aim of this study was to examine if common polymorphisms in SLC22A1, encoding the transporter protein OCT1, affect the hepatic distribution of metformin in humans. We performed noninvasive 11C-metformin positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to determine hepatic exposure in 12 subjects genotyped for variants in SLC22A1. Hepatic distribution of metformin was significantly reduced after oral intake in carriers of M420del and R61C variants in SLC22A1 without being associated with changes in circulating levels of metformin. Our data show that genetic polymorphisms in transporter proteins cause variation in hepatic exposure to metformin, and it demonstrates the application of novel imaging techniques to investigate pharmacogenetic properties in humans. READ MORE

Annals of NeurologyOBJECTIVE:
To assess whether concussion in childhood or adolescence is associated with subsequent multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. Previous research suggests an association, but methodological limitations included retrospective data collection and small study populations. READ MORE

NEJMExperimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved.READ MORE

Scientific AmericanEach time health care workers grab a pint of blood for an emergency transfusion, they make sure the donor and recipient have compatible blood types. But they do not pay attention to the donor’s sex. A new study raises questions as to whether that should change.
In the first large study to look at how blood transfusions from previously pregnant women affect recipients’ health, researchers discovered men under 50 were 1.5 times more likely to die in the three years following a transfusion if they received a red blood cell transfusion from a woman donor who had ever been pregnant.READ MORE

Medical XpressCancer cells that survive after treatment may use the body's own immune system to wake themselves up and fuel their growth, a new study shows.
The research sheds new light on how the immune system loses its ability to keep cancer in check, leading to the patient relapsing.READ MORE

News-MedicalGlioblastoma is the most common of malign brain tumors in adults, and it currently has no cure.
Now a research team led by Dr Claudia Barros, from the Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and its Brain Tumor Research-funded Centre of Excellence, has secured funding from the Brain Research Trust, which will help to expose novel molecules and their modes of action responsible for the initiation and growth of the disease.READ MORE

Medical ResearchGestational diabetes (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication. The American Heart Association identifies gestational diabetes as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women, based on consistent evidence for the relationships between gestational diabetes and subsequent hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Also, previous studies identify GDM as a risk factor for intermediate markers of CVD risk; however, few are prospective, evaluate hard cardiovascular disease end points, or account for shared risk factors including body weight and lifestyle.READ MORE